Praying on the Whole Armor of God

I originally posted this on our team blog for Cuba Mission 2008:

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

After a major turning point in Cuba, our team started to begin our days with reading Ephesians 6:10-19 (NLT),

10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.

We were diligent in praying this over us. If we were entering an extra "spiritually hostile" area, we would read it and pray it over ourselves. We became a team of prayer. We prayed over everything we did. Lost passports had us praying. Angry horse & buggy drivers had us praying. A team member sharing the gospel or praying for a person had the rest of us praying. If we had no food to eat, we prayed for God to sustain or suppress our hunger. When I fell and scraped my arm and leg, I prayed that my minor injury would not distract me from God's mission in Cuba. We learned to become absolutely dependent on God for everything. The biggest and smallest of details were covered in prayer. That's how we survived in Cuba; in a land where we had virtually no resources...no 24hr, drive-thru anything! Our time in Cuba was spent waiting on the Lord for our every move. We would have been completely lost without His day-to-day, moment-by-moment guidance.